The Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth Act (HB 4998) would require states to provide Medicaid coverage to all adults who have aged out of foster care in any state up to age 26. With the Affordable Care Act, youth who are in care by their 18th birthday and are previously enrolled in Medicaid are able to continue receiving coverage until the age of 26. However, due to a technical issue with the writing of the bill, coverage is only mandatory if a young person aged out in the same state where they originally applied for coverage. If a young person moved to attend college or to live with a family member across state lines, they would not be able to get access to that extended protection. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the implementation of this bill would cost $171 million from 2019-2028.
Click here to read the full bill.
Click here to read a detailed summary, courtesy of Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.